


familiar

by dinglehorton



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 12:29:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14105409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinglehorton/pseuds/dinglehorton
Summary: the soft fluffy post-reunion ficlet no one asked for that I wrote before the reunion and forgot about. one small mention of seb.





	familiar

They’re both drenched when they reach the Mill, Robert dripping water all over the floor of the front entrance. The mess should drive Robert nuts, but he can’t take his eyes off of Aaron long enough to care.

Aaron peels off his jacket and wet socks first, dropping them on the floor in a heap. Robert’s more careful and drapes his clothes over the back of a chair. It’s the first time he focuses on something other than Aaron, and he realizes that his hands are trembling.

“You okay?” Robert asks when he finds Aaron staring at him and only him, like it’s the first time he’s seen Robert.

“We should get out of these wet clothes,” Aaron says instead, expertly dodging the question. When Robert doesn’t follow him to the stairs, Aaron turns around with a hesitant smile spread across his face. “You comin’?”

“Yeah,” Robert shakes his head dumbly, practically trips over his own two feet as he makes his way to the staircase. “Yeah, of course.”

Their bedroom is exactly the way Robert remembers it. The bed is the same, the pillows are the same, and the moon still glares in when the curtains are open. He briefly wonders if Aaron had thought about changing any of it, of clearing away any lasting memory of Robert. And then Aaron brings him a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, blushing when Robert realizes that they’re clothing he’d accidentally left behind and that they smell like Aaron.

Robert thinks maybe it should feel strange getting naked in front of Aaron now, but it just feels normal. Familiar. Their kiss in the rain had felt like that too, familiar in all the ways he’d missed—Aaron’s hands on the side of Robert’s face, lips soft and warm against his own, the tingle of excitement deep in his chest at the thought of them reuniting, of Aaron still wanting him. They’d have to talk about a lot of things, they’d have to talk about Seb and how they were going to move forward, but for now Aaron wants him and loves him. 

“Come here,” Robert grins, reaching out to pull Aaron towards him, one hand on his hip as Aaron steps closer. Robert kisses him then, soft and slow. When he finally pulls away, Robert rests his forehead against Aaron’s and smiles, “I love you.”

“I love you,” Aaron replies, his own smile finally reaching his eyes. “Can we just—?” He nods towards the bed. Aaron’s eyes are drooping, exhausted from the events of the day—breaking up with Alex, running after Robert in the rain, his emotional plea for Robert to come home.

“Yeah, of course,” Robert says, nudging Aaron towards his usual side of the bed and then climbs in next to him. “Are you sure this is okay?”

Aaron nods, shuffles closer to Robert’s side of the bed until he’s flush against his shoulder. “Turn.” Robert rolls onto his side, lets Aaron press his chest against Robert’s back. He can feel Aaron’s body heat radiate across his entire body, warm and soothing, and it’s comforting when Aaron’s hand rests on Robert’s hip. Familiar.

“I missed this,” Robert says softly. He’d always preferred to be the little spoon, to have Aaron protecting him from the outside world with his love and warmth. “You’re like my personal space heater.”

Aaron huffs out a laugh against Robert’s neck, “I’ve missed this, too.”

Robert is worried for what the future holds, worried that they’ll screw this up again, in a way that will be beyond repair.

“Sleep, Rob,” Aaron says, squeezing Robert’s hip gently, reassuring him that he’s not going anywhere.

But for now—

Now Robert just wants to stay in Aaron’s arms. They can figure the rest out later.

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me @dinglehorton on tumblr


End file.
